NHL Playoffs 2015: Complete Matchups, Preview for Postseason

NHL fans can't complain that the final day of the 2014-15 regular season lacked drama. Plenty of teams headed into Saturday with their playoff lives on the line, and it wasn't until play wrapped up that they learned their respective fates.

Perhaps no game had more playoff implications than the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres. With just a two-point lead over the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh couldn't afford to slip up.

A 2-0 win for the Penguins was enough to get them into the Stanley Cup playoffs. While the Pens have major issues that could put a roadblock in their way on the road to the Stanley Cup, any team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is a threat in the postseason.

Here's a look at the eight first-round matchups, courtesy of NHL.com.

East
West
	New York Rangers—M1	vs.	Pittsburgh Penguins—WC2
	Washington Capitals—M2	vs.	New York Islanders—M3
	Montreal Canadiens—A1	vs.	Ottawa Senators—WC1
	Tampa Bay Lightning—A2	vs.	Detroit Red Wings—A3
	Anaheim Ducks—P1	vs.	Winnipeg Jets—WC2
	Vancouver Canucks—P2	vs.	Calgary Flames—P3
	St. Louis Blues—C1	vs.	Minnesota Wild—WC1
	Nashville Predators—C2	vs.	Chicago Blackhawks—C3

As TSN's Bob McKenzie notes, the first round may be set in terms of teams, but the full schedule won't be revealed until tomorrow:

The New York Rangers will be among many fans' favorites. They amassed more points than any other team in the league. New York also features great balance, finishing the regular season third in scoring average (3.02 G/GP) and third in goals-against average (2.28 GA/GP), according to NHL.com.

Andrew Gross of The Record in Bergen County, New Jersey, also found two nice stats that bode well for the Rangers:

Of course, the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks all make compelling cases to be Stanley Cup favorites as well.

Crazy things happen come spring in the NHL, though, so it wouldn't be a huge shock to see one or more of those teams mentioned above bounced in the first round.